One of Ireland's great natural wonders, the cliffs soar as high as 700 feet above the Atlantic. On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands. Awesome views! A harpist was at her regular station (in the mist) and we bought one of her CD's, which Larry then had her autograph. The visitors' center was excellent.
From there we traveled inland to the area called The Burren, a desolate and austere region of about 50 square miles. This limestone plateau is so barren, it was one of the areas Cromwell forced the Irish to settle. The first human inhabitants came about 6000 years ago. Today it is littered with more than 2000 pre-historic sights. Lunch break was at Catherconnal Fort.
In the afternoon we continued through the Burren area and then made our way to the Bay of Galway and finally Galway City, where we spent the next two nights. Our hotel, the Ardilaun House was situated on a hill overlooking Galway Bay. This was also reputed to be the spot where Julia Roberts and her children were vacationing. We didn't see them.
Upon arrival, a very full minibus took its occupants into the older part of Galway City. Galway was a medieval fishing village until the Normans arrived in 1234. They built a wall around the town and then proceeded to kick out the Irish!
We roamed around the village area for over an hour and were then picked up for the return trip to the hotel. It was a tight squeeze as Larry and I shared our two seats with John. Byron was all set to reward John for his discomfort before I loudly exclaimed that it was Larry and me who were the uncomfortable ones - I got the prize! Especially after our arrival back at the hotel when John was graciously telling everyone else to depart and he'd wait till last!
Dinner was wonderful as always and we had tables for our group. Larry also was able to take a swim in the indoor swimming pool. I visited the hot tub pool the second night, but discovered my suit had lost its elasticity, so that was the end my pool experiences.
Tuesday, August 14
A day of sightseeing in Connemara. We first visited the remains of an Irish castle (fortress), Aughnanure Castle. Life was not as romantic as we often think! We also stopped at the bridge used in the film, Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. We were able to visit the cottage as well, which had life-sized mannequins depicting John and Maureen and other characters.
Our afternoon was free, so that's when we chose to use the pool facilities.
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